Local Business Notes: Reisch Beer flies off shelves in return to Springfield

Brenden Moore Staff Writer @brendenmoore13

Saturday

Mar 9, 2019 at 1:43 PMMar 9, 2019 at 6:21 PM

The much-anticipated return of REISCH GOLD TOP beer to Springfield after a more than 50-year hiatus set off a run on area liquor stores and grocery stores this past week among those looking for a taste of local history.

The fast-acting were rewarded and many were left out of luck as several area stores and restaurants reported selling out their allotment of the beer quickly, some in a matter of hours.

“I’ve never seen a product literally fly off the shelf,” said Greg Donaldson, the wine and spirits manager at Schnucks Montvale. “I couldn’t even build a display.”

The Montvale location sold all 100 cases of the specialty brew it had in stock within the first five hours it was available on Monday. And Donaldson said some of the orders came from far beyond the 217 area code, including one person who prepaid for 10 cases and drove all the way from Virginia to pick them up on Wednesday.

“It amazes me the lengths people are driving for it: Virginia, Minnesota, Pennsylvania,” Donaldson said. “And they all want to me to call them when more comes, so I presume they’re driving back for the next shipment.”

It was the same story other places I called on Friday. Friar Tuck sold out its 100 case allotment on Tuesday, Hy-Vee went through its 60 cases in a matter of five hours, all County Market locations offering the beer sold out within a day and a half. Binny’s Beverage Depot, despite limiting sales to one case per customer, sold out within a matter of days.

The 30 cases allotted for 709 Liquors were gone in an hour, according to employee Jason Rule, who said the store had fielded at least 500 phone calls from people inquiring about the beer.

“We actually doubled our order this time,” Rule said, referring to the second batch that’s due to hit Springfield shelves early next month. “We’ll see if we can last two hours.”

The only liquor store I found that still had some Reisch Beer in stock was The Northender, which did not receive its 25 cases until Wednesday. As of Friday afternoon, there were only “very few” cases left, with the store limiting sales to one six-pack per person.

Those still looking to get a taste of Springfield history are more likely to have luck at bars and restaurants. An employee at D’Arcy’s Pint told me the beer was selling fast, but there was still a “good amount” left.

Fritz’s Restaurant had gone through about half a six-barrel keg with another full keg yet to be tapped, according to manager Paula Pickle. She said it would last “probably, at least, all weekend.”

And, of course, there are a few bars and restaurants that have held off tapping their kegs in order to host special events. Route 66 Motorheads Bar & Grill started offering a special Friday to run through Sunday evening: a horseshoe with Reisch Beer cheese, a pint of Reisch Beer and a specialty pint glass for $17.

Tuesday at 6 p.m., the Curve Inn will tap two kegs of Reisch Beer with commemorative glasses. Pints will go for $3.75 or an additional $1 for those who would like to keep the glass.

And later this month, the Reisch Charities will host a private event at Pasfield House where the beer will be served. Most of the tickets for that event have already been sold.

ROY MAYFIELD, a member of the Reisch Brew Crew, said the group is blown away by the “phenomenal sales” of the beer.

“It’s better than expected,” he said. “I think the quality of the beer has a huge part to do with it. It’s a phenomenal beer. … Springfield is already clamoring for round two of Gold Top.”

Round two is currently being brewed at the Potosi Brewery in Potosi, Wisconsin, and is expected to arrive to Springfield bars and store shelves in early April. Mayfield said this next round is a double batch. And that may not even be enough to meet demand as several store managers told me they have at least doubled their order.

If the second round and an expected third round go as well as the first, Mayfield said the beer could return in a semi-regular basis.

“It’s not that we haven’t thought about that because these sales are so good, but it’s because of the flavor of the beer,” Mayfield said. “People are just enjoying it so much that we’re hoping a second, third round goes as well as the first. I’m pretty confident the second round is going to be just like this one and blow it out of the water.”

According to Untapped, an app that allows people to rate the beers they drink, Reisch Gold Top has been a hit with locals, garnering a 3.83 out of five rating based on 57 reviews.

All proceeds from sales of the beer are going toward Reisch Charities, which plans to donate the funds to Springfield heritage sites.

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Fore!

THE OAKS GOLF COURSE is under new ownership.

The 18-hole course, 851 Dave Stockton Drive, Springfield, was acquired by WADE FAMILY LTD PARTNERSHIP, the same group that owns Meadowview Golf Course in Mattoon and Timberlake Golf Course in Sullivan. They also manage Lakeshore Golf Course in Taylorville.

The course had previously been owned by Danny and Barb Pesch since 1989. The sale price was $540,000, according to Sangamon County tax records.

According to a news release, there are many updates and improvements planned. Among them, the moving of the pro shop upstairs with a full redesign to the space, a new golf cart fleet and the remodeling of the banquet room.

The new ownership group is hoping to entice Springfield golfers by offering a two-year membership that would grant access to all four of the company’s courses for as little as $248.

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A major development plan that would bring a 95-room hotel, entertainment center and luxury apartments to downtown Springfield, revealed last week, leaves a lot of questions left to be answered.

Among them, what is the future of CLUB STATION HOUSE? The LGBTQ-friendly dance club's building is slated to be demolished if the project goes through.

Club owner Ryan Bandy, who also owns the building, 306 E. Washington St., said he did not want to delve too much into future plans but told me that he’s looking at all of his “options and possibilities at different locations in the downtown area.”

“I do plan to do something as I have good, loyal employees at the bar and loyal patrons who have supported my businesses over the years,” Bandy said. “It's premature, though, for me to go any deeper into my future plans as nothing has been finalized.”

So the club has yet to leave the station, but stay tuned.

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ILLINOIS NATIONAL BANK is expanding in the greater St. Louis region.

The Springfield-based bank announced last week the opening of a new loan operations office in Chesterfield, Mo. According to bank officials, the new office will allow it to better service customers in that region.

“We have looked to expand into the St. Louis market for some time but needed the right fit,” said John Wilson, INB executive vice president and chief lender. “This team was ideal for our organization because they hold the same philosophy of prioritizing customer relationships. Even as INB experiences significant growth, we remain community-minded. Loan decisions are made based on the expertise and experience of the local lenders in each of our markets.”

In addition to Springfield region, INB has branches in Peoria, Bloomington and Champaign.

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DUMB RECORDS officially cut the ribbon on its new downtown location, 416 and 418 E. Monroe St., on Saturday.

The offbeat, independent record store had previously been located at 1107 South Grand Ave. E. in the city’s South Town district. Owner Brian Galecki told my colleague, Steven Spearie, in December that the central location would help attract more shows.

Springfield’s other record stores, The Elf Shelf Books & Music and Recycled Records, also are located downtown.

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CRAWFORD, MURPHY & TILLY was honored with two awards at the AMERICAN COUNCIL OF ENGINEERING COMPANIES OF ILLINOIS’ Engineering Excellence Awards gala in Chicago on March 1.

The Springfield-based engineering and design firm won the association’s ‘Grand Conceptor’ award for its design of a new interchange of Barrington Road at the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90) in northwest suburban Hoffman Estates.

The firm also was awarded for its planning and design of the expansion of the Sangamon County Water Reclamation District’s Sugar Creek Wastewater plant on Springfield’s north end.

The firm’s stormwater retention work for the Jackson Street Corridor Project in downtown Springfield also won a merit award.

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The GREATER SPRINGFIELD CHAMBER OF COMMERCE is making their current headquarters, 1011 S. Second St., available for lease. Bill Marriott of The Real Estate Group is the listed broker for the 8,912-square-foot site.

The listing includes interior photographs of the space and a map of its layout, but not a price.

The news comes as the business organization prepares to move to its offices to the former United Methodist Church building at Fifth Street and Capitol Avenue.

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